Review
Minesweeper Flags Review (Xbox360)
It’s not unusual. Classic gaming formulas are being tweaked and presented back to the public by the bucket-load, often spilling any originality and the chance to make a quick dollar with a limp execution or over-inflated price. There have been success stories though, as the ease of online services such as Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network, combined with the portability of the DS, make these ancient formulas wholly more relevant to the medium than they ever have been in the last decade. With Minesweeper Flags, TikGames try to reinvent the classic PC formula with a fresh outlook and direction. Unfortunately, just like many ‘reinventions’ before it, the game amounts to a cheap and half-arsed final product, as the publishers sceptically try tempting you to shell out on the title that costs a measly and unoptimistic 400 MS points.
From the very beginning you should know what to expect here. After developing the entertaining Magic Ball title that hit the PlayStation Network a few weeks ago, you’d expect more from TikGames than a lick of paint and implementation of bland, lifeless textures. They do try to add a smattering of spice via the new “Flags” game mode, but this becomes largely redundant as the single player campaign insistently focuses on the gameplay we can all tackle right now, for free, on our personal computers.
Bizarrely, the single-player has you working through a number of stages set in each continent. Highlighting how TikGames has avidly searched for a theme, applied the simple formula, and tried to pass it off as a fulfilling experience, you’ll begin working your way through the endless supply of minesweeper puzzles in North America. As you progress, you’ll journey across the land and into South America, eventually hitting Europe and Asia. In order to differentiate between settings, the developers have applied an ugly and motionless scenery template around the grid you are working on. Lacking character and reminiscing on the graphical power of previous generations, it’s extremely hard to take each scene seriously. Trees lack any bulk and appear paper-thin, their leaves looking like tin foil spray painted by a child. Animals, the most lively and interesting visual prospect, all face the same way, occasionally bobbing their head down to maul at the laughably rendered grass. The presentation really is abysmal, and only serves to shatter the companies plaudits after the visually vibrant and exciting feel of Magic Ball.
If you can look past the dreary settings (and my god, you’ll need to), Minesweeper does offer a solid representation of the classic premise. There’s hundreds of puzzles to overcome, meaning lovers of Minesweeper will get a decent amount of enjoyment from this title. The best mode available is the aforementioned “Flags” mode, as the formula is twisted around presenting you the task to find the mines rather than avoiding them. Playing against the computer is tough, and always a close battle, as you’ll take turns to uncover squares that hopefully hide one of your newfound explosive friends. While this is fun, you’ll only continue playing if you have like-minded brethren in your house that is willing to take up the challenge. Xbox Live multiplayer is included, but finding a game is even more tedious than the bulk of the single-player campaign, meaning the option is nearly totally ruled out.
Of course, if you are looking for the purist experience, Minesweeper Flags does include a mode that mimics the presentation on your PC, giving you a further challenge if you decide to try out the tougher difficulties. It’s amusing to witness a game that performs better when the developers show a disregard for ‘updated’ visuals, as it works entirely well when there aren’t any robotic deer slowly cranking towards the ground below.
The experience of Minesweeper Flags is an odd one. While the new mode added is enticing and can be fun, there are too many drawbacks that don’t make this worth buying for the average gamer. For not wanting to go back to it, you do have to question TikGames’ motives for releasing this, especially as they have already shown they can make a really entertaining downloadable game like Magic Ball.
In a press release we received, the publishers urged us to “grab a controller and have fun with that special someone, blowing each other into oblivion” on this Valentine’s Day just passed. Although wanting to join in with the romantic phrasing and innuendos that littered the note, I urge you not to waste your (and your lover’s) time with this one. Unless, of course, you are planning on being single for rest of the year, in which case, it’s a cheaper alternative to breaking their heart over the dinner table.
Top Game Moment: The new Flags mode is fun for a while.
From the very beginning you should know what to expect here. After developing the entertaining Magic Ball title that hit the PlayStation Network a few weeks ago, you’d expect more from TikGames than a lick of paint and implementation of bland, lifeless textures. They do try to add a smattering of spice via the new “Flags” game mode, but this becomes largely redundant as the single player campaign insistently focuses on the gameplay we can all tackle right now, for free, on our personal computers.
 |
 |
|
| The game serves its purpose, if you want to pay for an otherwise free title. | Just one of the riveting locations on offer. |
Bizarrely, the single-player has you working through a number of stages set in each continent. Highlighting how TikGames has avidly searched for a theme, applied the simple formula, and tried to pass it off as a fulfilling experience, you’ll begin working your way through the endless supply of minesweeper puzzles in North America. As you progress, you’ll journey across the land and into South America, eventually hitting Europe and Asia. In order to differentiate between settings, the developers have applied an ugly and motionless scenery template around the grid you are working on. Lacking character and reminiscing on the graphical power of previous generations, it’s extremely hard to take each scene seriously. Trees lack any bulk and appear paper-thin, their leaves looking like tin foil spray painted by a child. Animals, the most lively and interesting visual prospect, all face the same way, occasionally bobbing their head down to maul at the laughably rendered grass. The presentation really is abysmal, and only serves to shatter the companies plaudits after the visually vibrant and exciting feel of Magic Ball.
If you can look past the dreary settings (and my god, you’ll need to), Minesweeper does offer a solid representation of the classic premise. There’s hundreds of puzzles to overcome, meaning lovers of Minesweeper will get a decent amount of enjoyment from this title. The best mode available is the aforementioned “Flags” mode, as the formula is twisted around presenting you the task to find the mines rather than avoiding them. Playing against the computer is tough, and always a close battle, as you’ll take turns to uncover squares that hopefully hide one of your newfound explosive friends. While this is fun, you’ll only continue playing if you have like-minded brethren in your house that is willing to take up the challenge. Xbox Live multiplayer is included, but finding a game is even more tedious than the bulk of the single-player campaign, meaning the option is nearly totally ruled out.
Of course, if you are looking for the purist experience, Minesweeper Flags does include a mode that mimics the presentation on your PC, giving you a further challenge if you decide to try out the tougher difficulties. It’s amusing to witness a game that performs better when the developers show a disregard for ‘updated’ visuals, as it works entirely well when there aren’t any robotic deer slowly cranking towards the ground below.
 |
 |
|
| Look at those penguins...what have you done wrong!? | The Flags mode is the best part of the game and offers a real challenge. |
The experience of Minesweeper Flags is an odd one. While the new mode added is enticing and can be fun, there are too many drawbacks that don’t make this worth buying for the average gamer. For not wanting to go back to it, you do have to question TikGames’ motives for releasing this, especially as they have already shown they can make a really entertaining downloadable game like Magic Ball.
In a press release we received, the publishers urged us to “grab a controller and have fun with that special someone, blowing each other into oblivion” on this Valentine’s Day just passed. Although wanting to join in with the romantic phrasing and innuendos that littered the note, I urge you not to waste your (and your lover’s) time with this one. Unless, of course, you are planning on being single for rest of the year, in which case, it’s a cheaper alternative to breaking their heart over the dinner table.
Top Game Moment: The new Flags mode is fun for a while.
Comments
By lichlord (SI Core) on Feb 23, 2009
By Nakerman (SI Veteran Newbie) on Feb 23, 2009
By lichlord (SI Core) on Feb 23, 2009
By Richie82 (SI Member) on Feb 23, 2009
By Nakerman (SI Veteran Newbie) on Feb 24, 2009
By Wowerine (SI Elite) on Feb 25, 2009
By senecaz (SI Newbie) on Feb 28, 2009
By Benadeto (SI Veteran Member) on Feb 28, 2009
By Nakerman (SI Veteran Newbie) on Feb 28, 2009
By benny180 (SI Core) on Mar 04, 2009
By Wowerine (SI Elite) on Mar 05, 2009
By clemryan (I just got here) on Mar 05, 2009
By Wowerine (SI Elite) on Mar 05, 2009
By crawlroman (SI Core) on Mar 11, 2009
By Wowerine (SI Elite) on Mar 11, 2009
By Hamarik (SI Core) on Mar 11, 2009
By Wowerine (SI Elite) on Mar 11, 2009
By jormarakas (SI Veteran Member) on Mar 15, 2009
